Story Tags

The Founding were Spies

Easy Reading: The American Founding

Looking for ways to get new and emerging readers interested in history and the founding of this country? Check out these easy readers--ranging from step one to step three--that introduce readers to facets of the American Revolution, the American presidency and some of the most well-known monuments in the country!

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Berlin Stories

The German capital's dramatic history and role as a center for artists and intellectuals have long captivated the imagination. This list includes novels and works of non-fiction, all of which examine the city through important periods in its history. Spy stories, tales from the Weimar Republic, and portraits of survival during WWII are found below. Visit DC Public Library's catalog for more. 

Rock the Bauhaus

Celebrating MLK Main Library's Reopening

MLK Memorial Library is a unique and beautiful building, but why does it look the way it does? Join Allie from the Creative Labs in learning about Bauhaus and how a German design principle helped build our library’s main branch. You can try your hand at designing a Bauhaus-inspired object too! Check out the video on YouTube here.

Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood

Hollywood Babylon: Biographies of the Golden Age of Cinema

There’s something wrong in Hollywood

Everyone loves a good story. The Golden Age of cinema, filmmaking during the 1910s - 1960s, was no exception. Tinseltown was, and still is, in the business of mythmaking and -- from the “lowly” assistant to the matinee idol -- everyone had a tale of victory and calamity, intrigue that attracted (or was generated by) the rumor mill. These Hollywood hopefuls wrestled against studio-contrived standards that transcended the screen and into the collective consciousness.

Book cover Map collected and last poems

Contemporary Central European Literature

Writing from the Lands Between

Central European writers created some of the most distinctive prose and poetry of the 20th century. Kafka, Sienkowicz, Kundera, Andrić, Musil and others masterfully employed irony, gallows humor, and the anti-heroic “view from below” in their examinations of modern bureaucracy, ill-treatment by historical forces, and the weight of memory. This list provides suggestions for readings from their 21st-century literary heirs (loosely conceived) – writers born in a mutilated world that demands both praise and lament.

Around American to Win the Vote

Celebrating Female Suffrage

Books for Kids and Tweens

August 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the Constitutional amendment that granted women the right to vote nationally. To celebrate, the entire year will be full of chances to learn about the 19th Amendment and to teach about and celebrate the women known as suffragettes, who fought for the 19th Amendment and for their ability to engage in the political process. 

Shall Not Be Denied

100 Years of the Vote

Women's Suffrage for Adults

This August, the United States celebrates 100 years since the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The fight for the vote was not over then, but it was a major step forward for so many and was the culmination of a fight that had been waged for decades. 

Book cover This Road I Ride

Bicycle Journeys

Epic adventures on two wheels

Are you a metro-area bicycle commuter who dreams of strapping a set of panniers onto your bike and heading far from the madding crowd? One needn’t be a cyclist to enjoy a tale of long-distance cycling – experience perhaps doesn’t even help the enjoyment. The books below are a combination of first-person narratives of explorations of undiscovered territories, both external and internal, and well-researched histories of epic journeys across continents.

Danube cover

Along the Danube

The lower Danube River is a route rich in history and nature. In 2014, I had my first view of the Danube River in Budapest, Hungary. Instead of a group tour of eastern Europe, I decided a river cruise would be a relaxing way to see more of this magnificent river and the countries along the way. Below are a selection of related titles I've read and enjoyed. Copies are available to check out and download from the library system.

Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube

Strong Appeal

Books I Put on Recent Recommendation Lists for Both my Mom and Sister

I like to think there are many perks to having a librarian in the family. My arts and crafts skills are impeccable, I can organize like nobody’s business, and, provided I know you well, I can produce book recommendations at the drop of a hat. That is why, for the last few years, I have gotten into the habit of creating recommended reading lists for my immediate family members for birthdays and other holidays. With Mother’s Day having recently passed, and my sister’s birthday coming up soon, I thought I’d share some of the books I recently recommended to both of them.

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